Brush making machine



Jan. 23, 1968 c. IASILLO BRUSH MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1966 JNVENTOR.

I CASPER IASILLO wk/e44,- wx wv? ATTORNEYS 3,365,235 BRUSH MAKING MACHINE Casper Iasiilo, 34 Summit, Ave., Port Chester, N.Y. 10573 Filed May 5, 1966, Ser. No. 547,997 7 Claims. (Cl. 300-11) The present invention relates to improvements in a brush making machine.

A brush of the type made by a brush making machine such as that with which the present invention is concerned comprises an elongated brush back typically formed from wood, plastic or like material of a drillable tough and durable nature. These brushes are intended primarily for floor cleaning purposes and accordingly are attached to an end of a long brush staff.

A conventional brush making machine drills an array of holes into one broad face of the brush back and implants in each of these holes a tuft of bristles. In order to enable the tips of the bristles to define an area larger than that embraced by the group of holes, the tuft holes have their axes fanned out at varying angles with respect to the brush face rather than being drilled perpendicularly to the brush face. The tufts of bristles seated in the holes diverge outwardly from the brush face and slant outwardly with respect to both the long axis of the brush back and with respect to the short transverse axis of the brush back. The brush back customarily is attached to a staff by providing an inclined bore at approximately the center of the brush back which bore is coarsely tapped to mate with a threaded end of the brush staff.

A problem arises because the material of the brush back removed to accept the staff occupies space in which tuft holes otherwise would be located. If the tuft holes adjacent the staff bore were perpendicular to the face of the brush back, as they would be if flared out symmetrially with respect to the center of the brush back, a sizeable gap would be present in the surface defined by the tips of the bristles. If a brush with a surface configuration including this gap should 'be used, for example in washing a floor, and the brush were pushed through a long stroke, a strip of the floor would not be cleaned, said strip of course corresponding to the gap in the tips of the bristles. Such a brush would be commercially undesirable. To resolve this problem, the tufts as well as the tuft holes bordering the staff here on both sides thereof usually are slanted towards one another so that the tips of their tufts are closely adjacent one another. In other words, the bordering tufts tent over the staff bore.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide an improved brush making machine which in the course of making a push-type bristle brush of the character described forms tuft holes adjacent the "boundary of a staff bore in the brush back on both sides of the bore which slant toward one another to tent the tufts over the stalf bore.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a brush making machine of the character described which performs the foregoing operation in a quick and efiicient manner, and which does so automatically and without any necessity for manual movement of the working piece.

It is another object of my invention to provide for a flaring type brush making machine of the character described, an attachment for converting the machine to one in which the tuft holes are so oriented that the tufts tent over the staff bore, said attachment being such that it may be quickly and easily attached to or detached from the basic machine.

Other objects of my invention in part will be obvious and in part will become apparent to the reader in the following description.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the brush making machine and attachment hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one possible embodiment of my invention,

FIG..1 is a front three-quartered partially broken away perspective view of a flaring type brush making machine including my attachment and showing, primarily, the various positioning means for moving the brush platform, and the conversion attachment for shifting the table on the brush platform;

FIG. 2 is a top plan partially broken away view of that part of the conversion attachment which includes the brush table and its shifting means;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged cross-sectional views taken substantially along the lines 3-3 and 44, respectively, of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the sundry drive shafts and earns employed in the brush making machine;

FIG. 6 is a partially representational and partially schematic view of the pneumatic operating circuit of the conversion attachment;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the secondary drive shaft ratchet and interval advance mechanism, both of which are components of the conversion attachments;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the drill and its orientation with respect to the brush back, the brush back being shown in cross-section;

FIG. 9 is a view of the brush back in two positions, one in solid lines and the other in dot-and-dash lines, with respect to the drill bit, the two positions being the alternate positions which my conversion attachment causes the brush back to assume; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a push-type brush with a back including holes and tufts made and inserted with a flaring type machine incorporating my conversion attachment.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a brush formed by a brush making machine including my conversion attachment.

Components of said brush are illustrated in FIGS. 1, 8, 9 and 10. The brush includes a brush back 12 inwhich numerous tuft holes 14 are formed in a pattern by drilling. Tufts of bristles 16 are implanted in said holes and project from a broad face 18 of the brush back. A bore 20 formed in the approximate end-to-end center of the brush back 12 runs from a rear face 19 to the front face 18 and is coarsely tapped to mate with a threaded end 22 of a brush staff 24.

Although it will be appreciated that numerous sizes, dimensions and types of brushes can be formed by a brush making machine of the type to be described, typically such brushes are of the push type which are utilized to sweep debris and wash floors. Usually the back is formed from wood or plastic and, in fact, from any material which can be drilled. Ordinarily the brush back is oblong in plan. The bristles are bent in half to form a tuft. The bristle tips substantially lie in a common plane parallel to the broad face 18 of the brush back.

By way of example, one commercial brush made in a machine with a conversion attachment embodying my invention has the following dimensions and attributes: a rectangular cross-section, a long dimension of 9", a Width of 2%", a depth of A", 96 tuft holes and 96 tufts.

It is commercial practice to orient the tuft holes with respect to the brush back so that the tufts flare (fan) outwardly towards the sides of and towards the ends of the brush back. The general configuration of the outline formed by the tufts in end elevation is illustrated in dotand-dash lines in FIG. 8 and the configuration in side elevation is illustrated in the dot-and dash lines of FIG. 9.

It is further typical to provide a pair of adjacent bore holes in the brush back so that the brush staff may be engaged with either of the bores. This is done because brushes of this type are generally pushed forwardly and it may be desirable to reverse the brush so that a different edge thereof becomes the leading edge. Accordingly, and as best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, a first staff bore a runs from the rear face 19 to the front face 18 of the brush back and a second staff" bore 201; also runs from the rear face 19 to the front face 18. The bores 20a, 20b are angled so that they run along converging axes and terminate in one common circular aperture 26 in the front face 18. The aperture is usually centered side to side and end to end on the face 18. The transversely elongated region occupied by the bores at the longitudinal center of the brush back inhibits the formation of tuft receiving holes thereat.

Referring now to the flaring type brush making machine 28 which forms the described brushes, and referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 5, said machine is driven by a conventional electrical motor 30 (see FIG. 5) which is mounted to ground. The term mounted to ground as hereinafter used, will mean that a part or component is carried by the frame of the machine and is fixed relative thereto. Most of the ground connections have been omitted for the purpose of simplifying the drawings and facilitating the understanding of the present invention. It is, of course, within the skill of a technician in the art to provide a mounting on the apparatus frame for any of the parts designated as being grounded.

The motor 30 has an output shaft on which is fixed a pulley 32 which is connected by a drive belt 34 to a pulley 36 fixed on a primary drive shaft 38. The motor is of a conventional type having a slow speed (geared down) output shaft, e.g. r.p.rn., and a brake clutch combination, the brake being effective to stop the output shaft when the clutch idles said shaft. Said primary shaft 38 is supported by grounded bearings.

The machine 28 also includes a secondary drive shaft 40 and means actuated by the primary drive shaft 38 to intermittently rotate the secondary drive shaft 40 in only one direction. Said means includes a crank arm 42 fixed to the primary shaft 38 and carrying an eccentric pin 44 which is rotatably secured to the upper end of a ratchet lever 46. A large diameter ratchet wheel 48 is fixed to the secondary drive shaft 40. A ratchet arm 50 (FIG. 7) is rotatably mounted on the secondary drive shaft 40, adjacent to the ratchet wheel 48. The outer end of the ratchet arm 50 is rotatably connected by a pin 52 to the lower end of the ratchet lever 46. As the primary shaft 38 rotates, the crank arm 42 oscillates the ratchet lever 46 which in turn oscillates the ratchet arm 50 alternately clockwise and counterclockwise.

A one-way drive pawl 54 is rotatably mounted on the ratchet arm 50 near its tip and is biased by a spring 56 toward the rim of the ratchet Wheel. The pawl 54 and ratchet teeth are arranged so that as the ratchet arm 50 is driven in a clockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 7 and this being the same as the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1, the ratchet wheel 48 is caused to step in the direction A. As the ratchet arm 50 is countor-rotated, the pawl slips over the last advanced tooth of the ratchet wheel. The drive means is arranged to intermittently step the ratchet wheel in one direction through the increment between the tips of two adjacent teeth upon each rotation of the primary drive shaft 38. As will be subsequently seen, the secondary drive shaft 40 constitutes the main driving member for the remaining components of the brush machine 28.

The fanning type brush machine in general includes three separate positioning means and each of these means is driven by the intermittent rotation of the secondary drive shaft 40. Each of these positioning means orients,

relative to a drill, a brush platform which in turn carries a brush table of my attachment that receives and holds the brush back. The brush back is thus swiveledly and vertically stepped with respect to the drill, the latter moving through a linear path of travel which is conventionally vertical. The bit of said drill moves downwardly (depresses) to drill a bore in the brush back and moves upwardly (elevates) to a clear position giving the brush back an opportunity to be moved by the various positioning means to its next ready-for-drilling position. The first positioning means rocks the brush table about an axis parallel to and below the backs short (transverse) axis so that bores are formed in the brush back which are slanted so that the tufts of bristles slant outwardly towards the ends of the brush back. The second positioning means rocks the brush back about an axis parallel to and below the backs long axis so that the bores are slanted so that the tufts of the bristles slant outwardly towards the sides of the brush back. The third positioning means elevates or depresses the brush platform and thus the brush back so that the tuft holes are drilled to a depth such that when the tufts are set therein the tips of the tufts will lie in a substantially common plane.

The brush platform is generally designated by the reference numeral 58. The brush table of my attachment is carried on the platform 58 and said table receives and holds the brush back 12 while the brush is being formed. Only a single brush platform 58 and table 60 are shown in FIG. 1. However, in the proper practice of my invention, the machine includes two platforms and two tables, each similarly simultaneously orienting a different brush back. One of the brush backs, the brush back 12 illustrated, is in the state of being drilled to form tuft holes therein While the other back (not shown) has already had said tuft holes formed therein (this having been carried out on the illustrated platform) and is in the state of having tufts of bristles inserted in said holes. Accordingly, as a tuft hole is being drilled in a certain location on the brush back 12, its twin back is having a tuft of bristles implanted in a preformed hole at the same location. The mechanism for orienting each of the platforms and tables is exactly the same and so only one is shown for the purpose of simplicity. A suitable apparatus which can appropriately be used to insert tufts in a back is disclosed in my United States Letters Patent No. 3,230,- 015 dated Ian. 18, 1966.

The first positioning means rocks the brush platform 58 and the brush table 60 about an axis, usually horizontal, which is parallel to the broad face of the brush back, perpendicular to the long axis of the brush back and below the brush back. Said first positioning means includes a large diameter edge cam 62. Said cam 62 is fixed on the secondary drive shaft 40 for common rotation therewith. A cam follower 64 rides on the periphery of said cam and is rotatably carried by the upper end of a follower arm 65, the lower end of which is pivotally mounted on a grounded member so that said arm may swing back and forth in accordance with the shape of the cam 62. A spring (not shown) biases the follower 64 against the cam 62. A rod 68 has one end fixed to the cam follower 64 and its other end terminates in a yoke 70 which is rotatably fixed to the upper end of a post 72. The lower end of the post is fixed to a bridge '74.

The bridge is transversely elongated and is fixed on each of its ends to a bridge bar, respectively, 76, 7 8. Each of the bridge bars is oscillatably carried by a bridge shoe, respectively 80, 82 the bridge bars being mounted for rotation with respect to the bridge shoes by transversely registered pins, respectively 84, 86. The bridge shoes 89, 82 are mounted for sliding vertical movement in gibs, respectively 88, 9t fixed to ground. It will be appreciated that as the shoes 80, 82 slide up or down vertically, they will carry with them the bridge 74.

The bridge 74 is connected to the platform 58- and thus the table 60 by a pair of levers 92, 94. Each of the levers is pivoted on a different (front or back) face of the bridge 74 intermediate its ends by a different pin, only the pin 96 mounting the lever 92 being illustrated. The pins are in front-to-back registry. The levers 92, 94 rock about an axis which is perpendicular to an axis drawn between the pins 84, 86, the latter being the axis about which the bridge '74 rocks. The upper ends of the levers 94, 96 are fixed to a plate 98 which is fixed in turn to the bottom of the brush platform 58.

As has been mentioned previously, another table and another platform is provided for a different brush back, the latter brush back having been drilled perviously and having tufts of bristles implanted in its tuft holes as holes are drilled in its companion back. Levers 100, 102 are each similarly mounted on the bridge '74 and support the platform and table (not shown) for said second brush. Said levers 100, 102 experience the same movement as do the levers 92, 94 so that the second platform and table are moved in the same fashion as are the platform 58 and table 60.

Briefly reviewing the operation of the first positioning means just described, as the secondary drive shaft 40 is intermittently stepped in the direction A by the ratchet arm 50, the cam 62 operates on the follower 64 which operates through the described linkage to rock the bridge 74 about an axis passing between the pins 84, 86. Said axis is represented by the line XX in FIG. 8 and in end view as point X in FIG. 9. Said back is caused to rock in the directions indicated by the arrow B of FIG. 9. It will be seen that the axis X-X in parallel to the broad face 18 of the brush back, perpendicular to the long axis of the brush back, parallel to the short transverse axis of the back, and below the brush back.

The second positioning means rocks the brush platform 58 and the brush table 60 and consequently the brush back 12 about an axis passing through the pins 96 which mount the levers 92, 94 for rotation on the bridge 74. Said axis is parallel to the broad face 18 of the brush back, is parallel to the long axis of the brush back, is below the brush back and is perpendicular to the short transverse axis of the back.

Said second positioning means comprises an edge cam 104- mounted on the secondary drive shaft 40 for common rotation with the cam 62. Said cam 104 operates on a cam follower 106 which is rotatably carried on the upper end of a follower arm 108. A spring (not shown) biases the follower 106 against the cam The lower end of the arm 108 is rotatably mounted on a grounded member. A rod 110 is pivotally connected at one end to the follower arm 108 and at its other end is pivotally connected to an adjustable location in a slot 112 in an arm 114 of a bell crank lever the hub 116 of which is rotatably mounted on a grounded memher.

The second arm 118 of the bell crank lever extends from the hub 116 and rotatably carries an upright slide 120 which is fixed against vertical movement. The upper end of the slide 120 rides in an elongated front-toback slot 122 in a guide 124 The guide is carried by a pair of pins 126 which depend from and are fixed to yokes 128. Only the front yoke and its pin are shown, the rear yoke and pin being concealed by the bridge 74. The front yoke has a pair of depending arms 130, 132 which are connected by pins to the lower ends, respectively, of the levers 100, 92. The rear yoke is similarly connected to the levers 102, 94. The yokes are not otherwise connected to the bridge 74.

As the secondary drive shaft is intermittently rotated in the direction A, the cam 104 also rotates and acts upon the cam follower 106 to move the rod 110 in the directions indicated by the arrow C. This movement of the rod moves the arm 118 through the hub 116 in an are as indicated by the arrow D, the slide therefore moving through the same arc. The slide acts upon the guide 124 regardless of its height or inclination to the horizontal and the arcuate movement of said slide is translated into movement of the guide through a linear path in the directions E which in turn through the pins 126 causes the yokes 128 to move in the same direction. Movement of the yokes rotate the levers 100, 92, 102, 94 on the pins 96 so that each platform 58 and its afiiliated table 60 move about its own axis of rotation. Accordingly, said axes pass through the pins 96.

Returning again to FIGS. 8 and 9, the axis of the second positioning means for the illustrated platform and table is designated by the line Y-Y in FIG. 9 and is represented in end elevation by the point Y in FIG. 8. Thus, the brush back is oscillated in an arc indicated by the arrow F as seen in FIG. 8. Both axes X-X and YY are lower than indicated to scale in FIGS. 8 and 9, having been raised so that they can be shown in these figures.

The third positioning means elevates and depresses the brush platform 58 and consequently the brush table 60 so that the tuft bristles have their tips lying substantially in a common plane, the same being indicated by the dot-and-dash lines in FIGS. 8 and 9 and in elevation in FIG. 10. It will be seen that the tuft holes bordering the sides and edges of each of the two groups of bristles on the brush back 12 fiare (slope) to a greater extent than the tuft holes at the center of each group. Accordingly, in order to assure that the tips of the tufts terminate at approxiamtely the same level, the holes of each group are drilled more deeply as they approach the center. By way of example, the tuft hole 14a in FIG. 9 is drilled deeper than the tuft hole 14b, and similarly the tuft hole 14c in FIG. 8 is drilled deeper than the tuft hole 14a in the same figure. This is done because all the tufts are of about the same length and since the distance along the axes of the tufts from their common end plane to the face of the back is less at the center of each group of tufts as compared the same distances at the sides and edges of the group, said center holes must be deeper to compensate for this lesser distance.

Said third positioning means comprises an edge cam 130 also mounted on the secondary drive shaft 40 for common intermittent rotation therewith and for common rotation with the other cam wheels 62, 104, previously described, as well as with the ratchet wheel 48. The cam wheel 130 acts upon a follower 132 which is rotatably carried by the upper end of a follower arm 134. The lower end of the follower arm is fixed to a hub 136 fast on a shaft 137 which rotates in a grounded bearing 138. The hub has fixed to it an arm 140 and the shaft carries an arm 142, the arms 140, 142 moving in common. A transversely elongated post 144 is fixed on its ends 'to the ends of the arms 140, 142 distant from the shaft 137. The post 144 has enlarged end portions which pass through apertures in a pair of shoe links 146, 148 so that said links can rotate with respect to the post 144. The upper ends of the links are pivotally connected as by pins, to the lower ends of the bridge shoes, the link 146 being rotatably connected to the bridge shoe 80 and the link 148 being rotatably connected to the bridge shoe 82.

As the secondary drive shaft 40 intermittently rotates through the action of the ratchet arm 50, the cam 130 is also stepped and acts upon the follower 132 to rock the arms 140, 142 in the direction indicated by the arrow G. This action through the links 146, 148 moves the bridge shoes 80, 82 upwardly or downwardly which in turn moves the bridge 74 and the levers 92, 94, 100 and 102 upwardly or downwardly, causing the same movement to be imparted to the brush back platform 58 and the table 60. The weight of the bridge 74 and the parts cammed thereby biases the follower 132 against the cam 138.

A drill, generally designated by the reference numeral 150, is a component of the flare type brush making machine 28, the same being illustrated in FIG. 1 and best in FIG. 8. Said drill includes a motor 152 which drives the drill at an appropriate r.p.m. for the drilling of material of the brush back. The motor is carried by its elongated and usually vertical drive shaft 154 to the lower portion of which is fastened a conventional drill chuck 156- which holds a drill bit 158. The motor casing carries a tab 160 which has an aperture through which a pin 162 snugly slidably passes, the pin being fixed to ground. This arrangement prevents the motor casing from rotating yet permits the motor to move upwardly and downwardly. The output shaft 154 is held by a sleeve 164 which is fixed to ground, the sleeve permitting the output shaft 154 to rotate and to slide axially of the sleeve. A collar 166 freely encircles the output shaft 154 between a pair of flanges 168 secured to said shaft. The shaft is free to rotate with respect to the collar 166 and the collar has one end formed as a follower 17% which is seated in a cam groove formed in a side face of a drill cam 172.. Said cam 172 is mounted for rotation with the primary drive shaft 38.

The motor 152 rotates the output shaft 154 which in turn rotates the drill bit 158. As the primary drive shaft rotates, the drill cam 172 operates on the collar 166 to move the output shaft 154 and consequently the drill bit 158 upwardly and downwardly along a linear path of travel between a position in which the drill bit is clear of the brush back which may be designated a repose position and a position in which the drill is boring through the brush back so as to form a tuft hole therein, said second named position being designated a drilling zone. It should be noted that the stroke of the drill is of constant length, the previously mentioned third positioning means elevating or depressing the brush back as is appropriate to form tuft holes of varying depths.

The attachment of my invention includes the brush back platform 58 which is secured to the plate 98 fixed to the top ends of the levers 92, 94. Said platform 58 supports the brush back table 60 and said table carries a pair of clamping jaws, to wit, a front jaw 174 and a rear jaw 176 (FIGS. 14 and 6).

The front jaw 174 is U-shaped and cradles one end of the brush back between its arms. Said jaw has a forward portion 177 which is fixed by a pair of screws 178 to the forward end of a base plate 180. The rear jaw 176 is also U-shaped and cradles the other end of the brush back between its arms.

My attachment includes means to move the brush back jaws toward one another under power, thereby to grip the brush back. To this end, the front jaw 174- is stationary with respect to the base plate 186 and the rear jaw 176 is slidable thereon. The bottom of the rear jaw slides over a guide member 182 fixed to the base plate 18%. The rear jaw is moved toward the front jaw by a piston 184 slidable in a cylinder 186 fixed to the base plate 186. A piston rod 188 extends from the piston and has one end fixedly attached to the back of the rear jaw 176. A conduit 189 leads to the chamber defined by a wall of the cylinder and the rear face of the piston and runs through valve means V to a source 198 of fluid pressure, e.g. compressed air (see FIG. 6). When the valve means is actuated by the apparatus operator so that said source exerts pressure on the piston 184 through the conduit 189, said piston slides the rear jaw 176 toward the front jaw 174 and said jaws grip a brush back placed therebetween. A vent at the front of the cylinder permits such forward movement to take place briskly.

Means moves the jaws away from one another upon closure of the valve means V to permit removal of a brush back from between the jaws. Said means includes a spring pin 192 which passes transversely through and is fixed in a spring block 194. The block is secured as by a screw to the rear wall of the rear jaw 175. A pair of elongated tension coil springs 196 biases the rear jaw 176 away from the front jaw 174 and for this purpose each of said coil springs has One end fixed to a different end portion of the spring pin 192 and has its other end fixed to a gib holding down the base plate 180 rearwardly of said rear jaw 176. Accordingly, when the valve means is actuated by the apparatus operator so that the chamber in the cylinder 186 is open to atmosphere, the springs will draw the rear jaw 176 away from the front jaw 174 so as to release and permit removal of said brush back.

To this point there has been described means for clamping the brush back to the brush table and three positioning means for flare orienting and vertically positioning the brush back so that tuft holes will be drilled therein at desired angles and to a proper depth. My attachment further includes means for so orienting the tuft holes adjacent to and on both sides of the staff bore 20 that the tufts of bristles located therein will tent over said staff bore.

Said last mentioned means comprises means mounting the brush table on the brush platform for bodily shiftable movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush back between two positions, these being (a) a first position wherein the axis XX of the first positioning means which is located parallel to and below the short transverse axis of the brush back is disposed between an end of the brush back and the staff here and (b) a second position in which said axis XX of the first positioning means is disposed between the other end of the brush back and the staff bore. The last described orienting means further includes means for shifting the brush table under power between said two positions.

Said mounting means comprises the base plate 180 which carries the fixed front jaw 174 and the movable rear jaw 1'76. The bottom face of said base plate slides on and is consequently supported by a platform base 198, said platform base being a component of the brush platform 58 and cammed by the plate 98. The base 198 has on opposed sides thereof a pair of elongated parallel gibs 20%) which are secured to the platform base as by screws (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The inwardly facing surfaces of the gibs mate with an overlie a pair of flanges 202, the flanges being parallel and each being formed on a different opposed side of the base plate 180. The flanges and gibs are oriented so that the base plate 189 and consequently the brush back gripped between the jaws 174, 176 can jointly slide in a direction parallel to the long axis of the brush back, said direction being indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 2.

Means is provided to shift the base plate 180 under power along the platform base 198 in the direction H. Said means comprises a carrier 2il4 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) fixed to the underside of the base plate 136 as by a screw. The carrier passes through and is guided by an elongated slot 2% in the platform base 198, said slot running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush back. The carrier 2% is connected by an elongated rod 268 to a piston 21% slidable within a cylinder 212. The end of the rod 208 distant from the piston and cylinder is threaded and mates with a threaded bore in the carrier 204. Said end of the rod is prevented from rotating after it has been located to a proper depth in said bore by a lock nut 214. A cylinder head 216 is secured to each end of the cylinder, one of the heads 216a (see FIG. 4) being secured to the platform base 158.

Conduits 2218 run from each head 216 through valve means 220 (see FIG. 6) to the source of high pressure fluid 190. Said valve means 220 permits high pressure fluid to flow alternately to the different heads, high pressure applied at one end sliding the piston 210 and consequently the base plate 189 in one direction and high pressure applied at the other end sliding the piston and consequently the base plate in the opposed direction. The valve means connects either selected head to high pressure and the other head to the atmosphere. The travel of the plate 180 is limited by stops (not shown) extended into the cylinder 212 from the heads 216.

The valve means 220 may be a conventional four-way valve for directing input high pressure air to either one of two outputs and connecting the other output to the atmosphere. Said valve means is controlled by an actuating lever 222 (see FIGS. and 6) which carries at its end a cam follower 224. Said cam follower rides on an edge cam 226 (see also FIG. 1) fixed on the secondary drive shaft 40 and rotating therewith. The cam 226 serves to actuate the valve means 220 so that the base plate 180 and consequently the brush back is shifted between its two positions at a proper time in a full cycle of a com plete brush making operation, as distinguished from a cycle of a bore drilling or tuft inserting operation.

My attachment additionally includes means to advance the secondary drive shaft 40 through a predetermined arc of rotation at certain points (twice) of the full cycle of a complete brush making operation when the primary drive shaft is stationary. The are is such that twice the arc plus the amount the ratchet wheel is stepped by the pawl 54 in making both groups of bores equals 360. Hence the arc of rotation is less than 180. Said lastmentioned means comprises an advancing arm 228 (see FIG. 7) which is rotatably mounted on the secondary drive shaft 40. Said arm carries a drive pawl 230 which is mounted on the outward end of said arm and which is biased by a spring 232 into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 48. Said pawl and the teeth of the ratchet wheel are arranged so that when the arm 228 is reciprocated, movement of the arm in the direction A, this being the same direction as the direction of normal rotation of the secondary drive shaft, advances the ratchet wheel 48 and accordingly the secondary drive shaft and when the advancing arm 228 is counter-rotated, the pawl slips over said ratchet teeth.

The advancing arm 228 is reciprocated by a fluid pressure piston generally designated by the reference numeral 234 which includes a piston rod 236, one end of which is pivotally connected to the radially outward end of the advancing arm 228. Said fluid pressure piston 234 is slidable within a cylinder 238 each end of which is closed by a cylinder head 240. The remote head is pivotally connected to ground. Conduits 242 run from each head to four way valve means 244 which in turn runs to the source of high pressure fluid 190 (see FIG. 6) and to atmosphere. The valve means 244 is controlled by a lever 246 which carries a follower 248. The follower 248 is located adjacentto the cam 226 and is shifted by camming blocks 250 carried by the side face of said cam. The actuation of the lever 246 causes the piston 234 to reciprocate the advancing arm 228 so as to first drive the ratchet wheel 48 and thus the secondary drive shaft 40 in the direction A and then shift the arm in a direction counter to direction A.

Referring now to the operation of the present apparatus, at the initiation of a cycle of operation, an operator places a brush back 12 on the table 60. The motor is running, but its clutch is idle and its brake is effective so that the pulley 32 is at a standstill. At this time, no tuft holes have been formed in the brush back but the staff bore 23 has already been formed therein. The jaws 174, 176 are spaced apart a distance greater than the longitudinal length of the brush back. The brush table is in one of its two positions. The operator actuates the valve means V which directs pressure from the source 1% to the piston 184 within the cylinder 186, thereby causing the rear jaw 176 to slide toward the front jaw 174 so as to grip the brush back.

The clutch of the motor 30 is then energized and the brake opened by the operator so that the motor drives the primary drive shaft 38 at an essentially constant slow, e.g. 40 rpm. The primary drive shaft in turn causes the secondary drive shaft 40 to intermittently rotatively advance in one direction through the reciprocating action of the ratchet arm 50. During the course of the cycle of operation, the primary drive shaft 38 simultaneously rotates the drill cam 172 so that the drill bit 158 moves continually through a linear vertical path alternately between an elevated position of repose distant from the brush back and a depressed drilling zone in which it is boring a tuft hole in the brush back. The drill motor 152 is, throughout said cycle of operation, rotating the drill bit 158. At the other (twin) brush table the tuft inserting mechanism is functioning similarly, i.e. is inserting tufts into bores previously made in the drilling operation. For the sake of simplicity I will limit the following description to the drilling operation.

It should be borne in mind that the drill bit 158 moves only through a linear vertical path and except for said movement (other than its rotation about its own longitudinal axis) experiences no other movement and that the brush back is moved relative to said drill bit. That is, the various positioning means continually orient the brush back so as to present different locations on the back to the drill bit 158 for boring. Further, the positioning means orients the brush back so that the face of the brush back is presented at a variety of angles to the drill bit, thus resulting in different tuft holes forming various angles (flaring) with respect to the brush back face.

During the first half of the cycle of operation the base plate 180 is located in one of the two positions between which it slides, this position being such that a first group of tuft holes is formed only between the staff bore 20 and one end of the brush back.

The first positioning means, previously described, rocks the brush platform 58 and consequently the brush table 60 and the brush back carried thereon, about an axis (X--X) parallel to and below the short transverse axis of the brush back thereby presenting in said brush back locations longitudinally of one another. The cam 62 which operates said first positioning means has its camming surface coordinated with the drill cam 172 so that first the drill bit 158 is lowered to drill a hole in the brush back, then said drill bit is elevated to clear the brush back and then said cam rocks the brush back to its next position, ready for the next formation of a tuft hole therein.

As has been stated previously, since the brush back through the brush platform and the brush table is rocked about an axis, each of the tuft holes along a longitudinal row of tuft holes is at a different angle with respect to the brush back face 18. As is best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10,

the one-side central tuft holes (between a back end and the staff bore) form an angle of about with said broad face while the endmost tuft holes form a more acute angle with said brush back face. The longitudinal configuration of the tufts when located in the tuft holes spreads upwardly and outwardly as outlined in dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 9 and shown in full lines in FIG. 10. The axis of the first positioning means is represented by the line XX in FIG. 8 and the point X in FIG. 9. Due to the location of the brush back by the piston 210 within the cylinder 212, said axis, which is below the brush back, is disposed intermediate an end 12a of the brush back and the staff bore 20 and is maybe approximately centered therebetween. (The line XX in the drawings is representational only). As said first positioning means operates, the drill bit 158 will form tuft holes ranging in orientation from, on one end of the back, the tuft hole 14a through, next to the staff bore, the tuft hole 14b. Due to the location of the axis of the first positioning means, the tuft holes adjacent the staff bore 20 slope upwardly and outwardly so as to tend to tent over the staff bore.

The second positioning means, previously described, rocks the brush platform 58 and consequently the brush table 60 and the brush back carried thereon, about an axis (Y-Y) parallel to and below the longitudinal axis of i the brush back thereby presenting to the drill bit locations transversely of one another on said brush back. The cam 104 which operates said second positioning means has its camming surface coordinated with the drill cam 172 so that first the drill bit 158 is lowered to drill a hole in the brush back, then said drill bit is elevated to clear the brush back and then said cam rocks the brush back to its next position, ready for the next formation of a tuft hole therein. Since the brush back through the brush platform and the brush table is rocked about an axis, each of the tuft holes along a transverse rank of tuft holes is at a different angle with respect to the brush back face 18. As best seen in FIG. 8, the one-side central tuft holes form an angle of about 90 with said broad face while the edgemost tuft holes form a more acute angle with said brush back face. The transverse configuration of the tufts when located in the tuft holes spreads upwardly and outwardly as outlined in dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 8. The axis of the second positioning means is represented by the line Y-Y in FIG. 9 and the point Y in FIG. 8. Said axis is below the brush back and is between the long edges 12c and 12d and is desirably centered therebetween. Hence, as said second positioning means operates, the drill bit 158 will form tuft holes ranging in orientation from the tuft hole 14d on one side of the back through the tuft hole 14 on the other side of the back. The first positioning means and the second positioning means are coordinated with one another so that successively the desired number of tuft holes in a group is formed in rank and file formation, all of said tuft holes being between the staff bore and one end 12a of the brush back. In a desirable commercial form of my invention, forty-eight tuft holes are formed between said staff bore and said end of the brush back.

The third positioning means, previously described, through the cam 130 elevates and depresses the brush platform and thus the brush back so that the various tuft holes are drilled to a depth such that when the tufts of bristles are located therein their ends will terminate in a common plane.

After the first one-side group of tuft holes has been completed, that is, the tuft holes between the staff bore and one end 12a of the brush back, the piston 210 in the cylinder 212 is driven through the valve means 220 by the high pressure source 190 so that the brush table 60 is shifted to its second position. The timing for the valve means 220 is governed through movement of the lever 222 by the cam 226. Immediately before this shift, the first positioning means will, for example, have oriented the brush back so that the longitudinal axis of the last tuft hole 14b to be made in the first group, is in line with the axis of the drill bit 158. Immediately after the shift of the brush back, said brush back will occupy the position shown by dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 9 with a tuft hole location adjacent the brush back end 12b being moved under the drill bit 158. The various positioning means then continue to orient the brush back so that the remainder of i the tuft holes, i.e., the tuft holes in the second group, are formed between the staff bore 20 and the end 12b. The sequence in which the holes are formed is not material and best is arranged to conserve energy and time. The orientation and formation of the tuft holes in this portion of the brush back is identical to the first group of holes formed in the first portion of the brush back. Therefore, the tuft holes on both sides of and adjacent to the staff bore tent over said staff bore so that even though there is an area in the brush back face in which no tuft holes are located, yet the tips of the bristles define an essentially uninterrupted surface.

To allow sufficient time for the shift of the brush back between the two positions, after the last tuft hole in the first group of tuft holes is drilled, cam means 252 on the secondary drive shaft opens the clutch and applies the brake of the motor so that the primary drive shaft 38, as well as the secondary drive shaft 40, are no longer driven by said motor. At the same time the cam 22.6 acts upon the lever 246 to actuate the piston 234 to drive the arm 228 so as to move the ratchet wheel 48 and accordingly the secondary drive shaft 40 through an arc. This moves the earns 62, 104 and to bring their respective positioning means to a position such that the first tuft hole in the second group of tuft holes, that is, the tuft holes between the staff bore 20 and the brush end 12b is located to be bored by the drill bit 158.

When the secondary drive shaft 40 is brought to the end of its arc of rotation, the lever 246 is operated upon by the cam 226 in a manner such that the piston 234 and thus the arm 228 is brought back to its initial position as illustrated in FIG. 7. At the same time, the clutch of the motor 30 is reengaged and the brake released by cam means 252 so that the primary drive shaft 38 and the secondary drive shaft 40 are again driven, thereby successively forming the tuft holes of the second group of tuft holes.

After the last tuft hole of the said second group is formed, the cam means 252 disengages the clutch and applies the brake of the motor 30, the brush back is again shifted to its initial position, and the piston 234 is actuated by cam means 226 to rotate the secondary drive shaft 40 back to a position immediately prior to another cycle of operation. The cam means 252 will not reengage the clutch and release the brake of the motor 30 so that the full brush drilling or tuft inserting cycle comes to an end.

The operator releases the pressure to the rear gripping jaw 176 so that the springs 196 draw said rear ja-w away from the front jaw 174. The brush back can then be removed by the operator and a fresh brush back with no tuft holes therein can be placed onto the brush table for the next cycle of operation.

It will be observed that fluid pressure is used to advance the secondary drive shaft between group drilling or tufting operations since at this time the primary drive shaft is stationary.

At the same time that the aforesaid brush back has had tuft holes formed therein, another brush back with tuft holes previously formed therein has had tufts of bristles implanted into said tuft holes. Said brush back is carried by a brush platform 58' and the brush table 60 which are oriented in the same way as the platform 58 and the table 60 with respect to a bristle implanting means of the type shown in my US. Patent No. 3,230,015. The brush platform 58' and table 60' are illustrated schematically in FIG. 6 and the levers 100, 102 supporting said brush platform are shown in FIG. 1.

It thus will be seen that I have provided for a flaring type brush making machine an attachment which achieves the several objects of my invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shownin the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a machine for making flare type bristle brushes, each brush having an elongated brush back with an array of holes in a broad face of the back, tufts of bristles implanted in said holes and a bore centered in the brush back and adapted to mate with an end of a brush staff, said machine including a brush platform for a brush table that positions the brush back as the brush is being made, a mechanism boring the tuft holes in the brush back or implanting tufts in such holes, said mechanism being movable along a linear axis between an operative zone and a repose position, and positioning means rocking the brush table with respect to the mechanism about an axis parallel to the broad face of the brush back, perpendicular to the long axis of the brush back and below the brush back so that locations spaced along the long axis of the brush back successively intersect the mechanism in its operative zone, the axis of said mechanism successively forming different longitudinal angles with respect to the broad face of the brush back ranging from an outwardly flaring angle through a 90 angle to an oppositely outwardly flaring angle, an attachment comprising:

a brush table, means carried by the brush table to receive and hold a brush back, means mounting the brush table on the brush platform for movement in a direction parallel to the long axis of the brush back between a first position wherein the axis of the positioning means is located between an end of the brush back and the staff bore and a second position wherein the axis of the said positioning means is located between the other end of the brush back and the staff bore, and means shifting the brush table under power between said positions whereby the staff bore will be tented by tufts of bristles adjacent to the staff bore on both sides thereof.

2. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 further including positioning means moving the brush table with respect to the mechanism axis along the axis of the brush back transverse to the long axis thereof so that locations spaced transversely of the brush back are intersected by the mechanism axis.

3. An attachment as set forth in claim 2 further including positioning means elevating and depressing the brush table in a direction parallel to the axis of the mechanism for preselected distances such that tufts of bristles when implanted in the tuft holes in the brush back will have their tips lying in a substantially common plane.

4. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein the brush table shifting means moves the brush table with respect to the mechanism in a cycle during which the mechanism operates on a brush back only once to each 14 of its two positions, so that the mechanism first operates on a group of longitudinally spaced locations between the staff bore and one end of the brush back and then on a group of longitudinally spaced locations on the brush back between the staff bore and the other end of the brush back.

5. An attachment as set forth in claim 4 wherein means renders the mechanism ineffective while the brush table shifting means is moving the brush table between its two positions.

6. An attachment as set forth in claim 5 wherein drive means operates the positioning means when the brush back is in each of said positions and drive means, independent of the first named drive means, operates the positioning means while the brush table shifting means is moving the brush table between its two positions.

7. An attachment as set forth in claim 6 wherein the first named drive means includes an electrical motor, a drive shaft and ratchet advance means driven by the motor intermittently driving the drive shaft in one direction only, wherein the positioning means includes a cam mounted on said drive shaft and a follower acted upon by the cam and engaged to the brush platform, wherein the second named drive means includes a fluid operated piston and means engaging the piston to the drive shaft for rotation thereof through an arc of less than 180 in said one direction, and wherein means is included energizing the piston after the mechanism has terminated its operations on a group of longitudinally spaced locations so that the piston rotates the drive shaft through said are only when such operations have been completed.

GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, In, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR MAKING FLARE TYPE BRISTLE BRUSHES, EACH BRUSH HAVING AN ELONGATED BRUSH BACK WITH AN ARRAY OF HOLES IN A BROAD FACE OF THE BACK, TUFTS OF BRISTLES IMPLANTED IN SAID HOLES AND A BORE CENTERED IN THE BRUSH BACK AND ADAPTED TO MATE WITH AN END OF A BRUSH STAFF, SAID MACHINE INCLUDING A BRUSH PLATFORM FOR A BRUSH TABLE THAT POSITIONS THE BRUSH BACK AS THE BRUSH IS BEING MADE, A MECHANISM BORING THE TUFT HOLES IN THE BRUSH BACK OR IMPLANTING TUFTS IN SUCH HOLES, SAID MECHANISM BEING MOVABLE ALONG A LINEAR AXIS BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE ZONE AND A REPOSE POSITION, AND POSITIONING MEANS ROCKING THE BRUSH TABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE MECHANISM ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE BROAD FACE OF THE BRUSH BACK, PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONG AXIS OF THE BRUSH BACK AND BELOW THE BRUSH BACK SO THAT LOCATIONS SPACED ALONG THE LONG AXIS OF THE BRUSH BACK SUCCESSIVELY INTERSECT THE MECHANISM IN ITS OPERATIVE ZONE, THE AXIS OF SAID MECHANISM SUCCESSIVELY FORMING DIFFERENT LONGITUDINAL ANGLES WITH RESPECT TO THE BROAD FACE OF THE BRUSH BACK RANGING FROM AN OUTWARDLY FLARING ANGLE THROUGH A 90* ANGLE TO AN OPPOSITELY OUTWARDLY FLARING ANGLE, AN ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A BRUSH TABLE, MEANS CARRIED BY THE BRUSH TABLE TO RECEIVE AND HOLD A BRUSH BACK, MEANS MOUNTING THE BRUSH TABLE ON THE BRUSH PLATFORM FOR MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE LONG AXIS OF THE BRUSH BACK BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN THE AXIS OF THE POSITIONING MEANS IS LOCATED BETWEEN AN END OF THE BRUSH BACK AND THE STAFF BORE AND A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN THE AXIS OF THE SAID POSITIONING MEANS IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE OTHER END OF THE BRUSH BACK AND THE STAFF BORE, AND MEANS SHIFTING THE BRUSH TABLE UNDER POWER BETWEEEN SAID POSITIONS WHEREBY THE STAFF BORE WILL BE TENTED BY TUFTS OF BRISTLES ADJACENT TO THE STAFF BORE ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF. 